Railway booster motor



May 19, 1931. H. M. PFLAGER RAILWAY BOOSTER MOTOR Filed March 17, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet l l/\/ WEN TOR Af/ /V. fi /ayer 7-713 iE/li May 19, 1931.

H. M. PFLAGER RAILWAY- BOOS TER MOTOR Filed March 1'7, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I I I I |l IIII. I III 1 lNVENT'OR //a/ fig/a er w g Tv-og/fi g 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 H. M. PFLAGER RAILWAY BOOSTER MOTOR Filed March 17, 1927 uh u l l u.

May 19, 1931.

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Patented May 19, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HARRY M. PFLAGER, OF ST. LOUIS, HISSOURI, ASSIGN'OR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

T0 GENERAL STEEL CASTINGS CORPORATION, OF

PORA'IION DELAWARE GRANITE CITY, ILLINOIS, A COR- RAILWAY noosrnn Moron Application filed March 17, 1927; Serial No. 176,105.

My invention relates torailway rolling stock and consists in an improvement in booster engines such as are applied to axles of a locomotive or its tender which ordinarily areidle but which become drivers when the boosteris operating. r

In all booster engine installations with which I amfamiliar, there is an engine bed of substantial extent and weight upon which is mounted the engine cylinders and other parts of the engine structure. A typical embodimentof such a structure is illustrated in Patent No. 1,401,553 issued to me December 27, 1921.

The main object of my present invention is to produce a booster engine structure which will be lighter in weight than those previously used and at the same time will be stronger for their intended purpose and which will eliminate the possibility of the mounting of cylinders on their bed being loosened and the cylinders thrown out of the best operative re lation with the other parts of the engine.

Another object of my invention is to simplify the booster structure by eliminating a number of separately formed parts.

I accomplish these objects by forming the engine cylinders and associated parts integrally with the bed plate and preferably by casting in one piece the bed plate and cylinders and various other portions of the booster engine such as the steam passages, and piston valve bearings.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate a selected embodiment of my invent1on- Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through the center of my improved booster motor casting showing the same applied to a locomotive trailer truck such as are in common use. The sectlon is taken on line 1-1 of Figure 2.

function but serve to support a portion of the superstructure through the truck frame comprising wheel pieces 3 and a rear transom 4.

The booster engine is mounted upon the axle 1 and thetransom a, the engine bed being provided with transversely spaced, clownwardly facing bearings 5, for engaging the axle and with a central, downwardly facing spherical bearing 6 spaced from bearings 5 longitudinally of the bed and adapted to engage a cooperating bearing element 7 mounted on the truck transom 4c.

Intermediate bearings 5 and 6 the bed is provided with transversely spaced, upwardly facing bearings 8 in which the crank shaft of the booster engine may be journaled. At the sides of bearing 6, the bed is provided with pads 9 for mounting the cross head guides 10.

Spaced from the outer end of bearings 8 are vertical members 22 forming side walls for the space required for the engine crank shaft. Spaced from the bearing 6 are verical members 23 forming side walls for the compartments in which the valve gear mechanism operates. Vertical members 13 and 25 form end walls for the compartments inclosing the valve gear mechanism, cross heads, connecting rods and crank shaft, and these end walls together with members 22 and 23 and with suitable flanges 26 along the horizontal bottom member of the bed cooperate to mount the separately formed cover plates 12. Suitable reinforcing webs 27 and 28 extend longitudinally and transversely of the-bed to reinforce members 22, 23, 13, 25 and 26 and also reinforce bearings 6 and 8 and the horizontal member of the bed.

The engine cylinders 11 are formed integrally with the remainder of the bed plate and form the bulk of the rear portion of the latter, thereby avoiding excess metal as is present in a structure including a bed plate and separate cylinder elements above the same. Preferably the lower portions of the cylinders project downwardly from the bed plate bringing the axesof the cylinders closer to thebed plate and reducing thesize ofjthe cross head, or its guides.

Integral with the cylinder are cylinder connecting members 13 and 14 which with suitable webs form steam passages 15 and 16 "leading from the inletat 17 to the cylinders and from the latter to the outlet at 18.

- Between ea h passagelti and the adjacent cylinder 11,-the're is a passageway 2 1'which' functions as an inlet passage-or an outlet passage accordlngto the ps1t1on of the steam valve. Thebottom of each passageway 24;":

l is concaved downwardly and a downwardly i inclined conduit 29 leads'from the lowermost portion of eachpassageway 24: to the exterior of the structurewhereby waters of condensa- 7 131011 may be-drained from the cylinders and steam passages, The I casting includes a renewed from: time totime;

chest for the steanrcontrolvalve and flanges '19 form bearingelements for the piston .valve .(not shown) ,whichis inserted through theopening normally closed by a'plug 21. Preferably a bushing is mounted on flanges;

19 and thereby the bearing surface may be 7 By;forn1ing all.of-th' engine parts mentioned a single casting it isobvious that a stronger structure-can be provided for-a given amount of material and that there will .be no opportunityforthe cylinders and other elements to work loose from thebed oreach other as is possible when the parts are formed separately and are bolted to the bed.

-Whilel haveflillustrated a booster engine mounted? upon the axle and transom of'a locomotive trailer truck, it is to beunderstoodthat my invention is applicableato a V booster engineflappliedto oneor more axles ofa locomotive tender or applied to other idler axles of a locomotive whether the same are the-usual trailer truck axles or otherwise,

and whether the booster is-entirely supported vbya truck oris supported by the superstructurey Suitable reinforcing ribs strengthen the casting and pads for attaching cover plates 7 12, and other detail parts of the casting. may i r be used .asidesired and' may be modified at will, and other variations in my preferred structure may be Vmade without departing from thespirit of my inventionasexpressed in my claims; j i

. I claim;

1.- A'booster bed plateconstruction "comprising a substantially horizontally disposed main body, an'integrally formed transr formedtransversely extending wall at the rear end of said plate, and a plurality of integrally formed members extending rearwardly fromthe opposite edges of said transversely extendingwall to constitute the outer walls ofa pair ofbooster cylinders.-

4:. A'booster' engine bed plate construction (comprising substantially horizontally disposed m'aingbody, an upright wall entending transversely of said body and integral therewith, the central portionof said wallhaving 1a rearward, extension (connected; thereto. by

an. arcuate section, a portion of said wall and said extension forming a vsteam passage.

5. A locoma-tive'booster enginefrarne integral structure comprisinga horizontal bed plate, upright transverse webs. thereon, a.

steam cylinder having an'end'wall formed by one of .saidwebs and having side walls extending from said web and projecting below the level ofsaidbed plate, andbearings for an engine crank shaft" and, a, 'truckaxle merging with, the other of saidweb's, 6. A locomotive-ibooster engine' frame integral structure comprising ahorizontal bed plate, upright transverse webs thereon, a steam cylinder having an-end wall formed by one of said webs and having sidewalls extending from said .web and pro]' ecting be.- low the levelof said bed plate, and bearings for an engine crankshaft and a truck. axle merging with the other .ofsaid webs, there being cross head guide slides; formed onv said bed plate between said wall: forming web and said crank shaft] bearings. j

7. A one piece castlngcomprlsing "a loco- 'motiveflbooster engine cylinder, bed platestructure. extending forwardly from the end of said cylinder and intermediate the top: and

bottom thereof, therebeing an upright web spaced from. said cylinders,;and crank shaft bearing elements in said structureon one side of said Web, and truckaxle bearing elements in said structure on the other side ofsaidweb. In testimony whereof I hereuntoaflix my signaturethis 11th day of March, 1927.

PFL s .versely extending wall at the rear end ofsaid I Q12. A booster engine bedplate' the ridge of said bulgedcentral portion as an integral continuation-therefrom.

' ,coinprising a main body plate, an integrally construction main body," the central portion of saidwall V being bulged.rearwardly,and a longitudinal- -l'y extending webextending rearwardlyfrom- 

